Dopamine's role in pain sensivity & placebo analgesia

描述（由申请人提供）：本文介绍的研究讨论了中枢多巴胺系统在内源性疼痛调制中的作用，因为它与对伤害性刺激的敏感性有关，以及在给予安慰剂镇痛剂后参与抗伤害性资源的能力。基于大量的数据，从动物文献和收敛的证据，从临床样本和健康的人类志愿者，它提出的D2样多巴胺受体密度的主要多巴胺能奖励途径的神经成分与这些调制能力的差异。它还提出，信念的幅度和概率接受一个据称是积极的镇痛剂会影响安慰剂反应和D2多巴胺受体密度之间的关系。拟议的研究将测试基线疼痛敏感性和安慰剂镇痛时，有高或低的概率接受据称是积极的治疗与D2/D3多巴胺受体的可用性在纹状体和纹状体外脑区的[18 F]fallypride PET测量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The research presented here addresses the role of the central dopamine system in endogenous pain modulation as it pertains to sensitivity to noxious stimuli, and the capacity to engage antinociceptive resources following administration of placebo analgesic. Based on substantial data from the animal literature and converging evidence from both clinical samples and healthy human volunteers, it is proposed that D2- like dopamine receptor density in neural components of the primary dopaminergic reward pathway is differentially associated with these modulatory capacities. It is also proposed that beliefs regarding magnitude and probability of receiving a purportedly active analgesic will affect the relationship between placebo response and D2 dopamine receptor density. The proposed study will test whether baseline pain sensitivity and placebo analgesia when there is a high or low probability of receiving a purportedly active treatment are associated with D2/D3 dopamine receptor availability in striatal and extrastriatal brain regions as measured with [18F]fallypride PET.